The Difference Of Knowing
by Those-carrots
Summary: He had met her when he had been young. If only he had known at that time the severity of her actions. She was beautiful, every sense of the word; a Goddess in her own right. But she was a criminal, a murderer no less. So why did he have this, obsession? This wanting. They met on a mission, and it went downhill from there. Fem!Itachi/Naruto. Alternate universe to 'In His Own Right'
1. Prologue

***Just the beginning of something I've had in my head.** **It's basically an alternate counterpart to my story In His Own Right. The differences will definitely stand out, so you could consider this a what if. The story does not entirely follow cannon, it is a bit AU, and I think you guys will enjoy it. Here is, the prologue. Hopefully it'll be a short story, Five to seven chapters at best.**

 **The Difference Of Knowing:**

 **Prologue:**

* * *

She _placed her Katana neatly into the hilt on her back. A serene sense of quietness had nestled itself into the forest. Almost, as if the forest itself knew the upcoming unfortunate storm of circumstances. The events that would prove to be the most difficult of all her missions. The girl walked swiftly through the forest, clearing her head as she mentally prepared herself. She boiled with anxiety, something unfamiliar to the thirteen-year-old. Every single member of the Uchiha clan would die by tonight, and knowing this held a heavy burden on her chest._

 _Izumi stopped her movement, a swirling vortex forming before the girl. The young Uchiha stopped as she watched the tall figure of the masked shinobi, his hair long and spiky, falling onto his shoulder. This man, this was the same ninja that had murdered Tenma. Yes, so she already didn't like him, but she needed him. The same ninja who proclaimed himself as the infamous Madara Uchiha. Yes, him. -Albeit, Izumi wasn't so sure about his own identity.-_

 _The two exchanged shadows of the forest extended in size, covering the ground in darkness as the sun descended below the horizon._

 _"Come on.", Madara stated from underneath his mask, his voice was deep, intimidating and demanding. However, Izumi made no movement. Madara turned noticing this, a darkness seeming to emanate from the Elder Uchiha. "You must promise me one more thing.", she glared at him, activating her Sharingan as she did so ensuring that the man knew that Izumi was making that statement absolute. He glared at her for a moment, his own Sharingan eyes glaring at her with a fiery intensity._

 _"Do you not trust me Izumi-san?", he stepped towards her crossing his arms._

 _"Forgive me if I don't.", she retorted. His crimson red eyes seemed to glow as he patiently waited. "Go on…", he sighed._

 _"Promise me that you will handle each victim humanely.",_

 _He turned his head a bit, it tilting to the side. "How can you kill someone humanely?",_

 _"Refrain yourself, is all that I'm asking.", He chuckled a bit, his taller form looking down on her._

 _"Someone who wishes to kill her own kin wishes to do so humanely. How whimsical...", he said almost humorously. Izumi kept her mouth closed, she didn't find any_ humorous . _Her true intentions were still an enigma to the shinobi._

 _"You have my word.", he said. At least, she could give them that much, as fucked up as it seemed._

 _The Two disappeared without any other word. And with that and a sickening hesitation, Izumi and the masked man began their slaughter of the Uchiha. The whole entire time Izumi began her plan for the future and the future of the -will be- last member of the Uchiha Clan. She ended the slaughter with her parents, which proved to be the one of the worse parts of the experience. Facing her own flesh and blood, the man and woman who birthed her. The disappointment in her Father's voice, despite his own words of being proud. It was heart wrenching and turned her emotions into a messy mush. They were killed by the same sword as everyone else. One slash ended their lives as the two fell to the ground, their bodies impacting with a thud, as blood gushed onto the floor. She felt the tears rush down her face as she gazed at her parents, her eyes burning. She forced a straightened face as the she left her parents, placing her bloody Katana into her hilt._

 _She heard small yet rapid footsteps approaching. The door slid open, a mop of black slightly spiked hair revealing the person's identity._

 _"Izumi!", her crimson eyes glared into his black. They held pain, his whole entire being struck with shock. It was unsettling, the whole entire mission and her actions were unsettling. His face quickly transition from that of shock to pure sadness. A crestfallen state, his eyes filling with water, a confused expression spilling over the boy. It hurt, it really was painful. For Izumi to cause such pain to her beloved younger brother, it was just terrible. He would resent and hate her, he would seek her out and make an attempt at extracting revenge. He would obtain all the power necessary to give her a fitting end. This would be her fate._

 _Izumi lifted her eyes gazing at her younger brother._

 _"I don't understand, father and mother...Everyone they're—!", he cried in panic. A Shuriken rushed past the seven-year-old. She had missed on purpose but had successfully cut his shirt and arm. Sasuke gazed at her and then at the weapon, blood spewed from his arm._

 _"What are you…?", He paused, gazing at her._

 _"Remember this Sasuke, this moment.", she began.. Why did it have to happen like this?_

 _"Izumi, you did this?",_

 _She didn't respond, she simply replied with a stoic look. She had to continue with the mission, everyone had to believe she was a criminal, a psychotic murder._

 _"Why?", his words pierced her heart._

 _"To test the limits of my capabilities.", she could feel the rivers of sadness forming in her eyes, she blinked them away, her eyes forming into the abstract pattern of the Mangekyou Sharingan._

 _"Tsukuyomi!", she cast her most powerful Genjutsu onto her little brother, showing him the massacre, everyone she killed and how she did it. Altering certain scenes in order to keep her true intentions a secret. She showed him what was needed._

 _"Izumi, please stop!", he let out an ear bursting cry. She listened deeming that it was enough. The boy fell to the floor, his breath heavy, eyes wide. She approached him. The small seven-year-old gazed up at her, his eyes tearing. In an instant the boy was gone, running off leaving the house. Izumi watched, the boy was fast on his feet. He ran in the direction of an alleyway, Izumi intercepted him. He jumped back at her sight._

 _"I don't wanna die, please!", he begged again._

 _She looked down at the boy, red eyes holding in the moisture. She forced herself to mouth the words._

 _"You're too pathetic to kill.",_

 _She stared, almost in disbelief, as if he thought she'd just kill him._

 _"You're weak, killing you would hold no satisfaction.", he cried more, his tears seeming to never stop._

 _"Do you hate me baby brother?", Please don't._

 _"Are you understanding the meaning of hatred? The power of hate, the power to obtain true power. Only through this can you acquire the power to defeat me.",_

 _He said nothing, the boy fell to the ground, his wound seeming to cause him weakness._

 _"By all means, run! Hide, cling to your pathetic excuse of an existence. And only when you have the same eyes as I do...", she glared at him, staring him directly in the eyes, giving him a full view of her Mangekyou. "...come and face me!",_

 _Those were the last words she spoke to her brother, the seven-year-old just stared at her weakly. He didn't understand, his life had been ruined because of the sins of the clan and the necessary actions needed to save the village. Imagine a child having everything stripped away from them, their family, the love of their family and the comfort of having a family. That was all taken away within the matter of an hour, by the one the child had admired the most. Sasuke would hate her, she had stated this already. And knowing this it, knowing that her brother would hate her, that was the worse feeling. She would have to live with the pain of ruining the life of someone she held closely._

 _Ultimately, Izumi had saved the leaf village, preventing a possible civil war. In Hindsight, she was a hero, to those that knew of her mission. However, for those who didn't know, she would be blacklisted and marked as an S-class criminal, all for the sake of her village. She was a hero! But she wouldn't dare consider herself anything of the sort, she felt like trash, a disgusting heap of heavy trash there was nothing that could help her feel better about her actions, the only closure was that Izumi had served her beloved village yet again. That was it, the only positive coming from this painful experience._ _Sasuke fell to the floor, glaring at Izumi, she watched as the small innocent boys eyes changed from black to crimson red. Izumi simply watched, Sasuke truly knew pain now… He fainted, shortly after. The Anbu captain looked at him for a moment, her eyes tear uncontrollably. This would be the last time for a long time that she would see him. She sighed softly approached her brother before becoming level with his unconscious form._

 _"I'm sorry Sasuke. Just wait 'til next time.", she stated before planting a gentle kiss on his forehead._

* * *

 _The air was uneasy, almost tense. Naruto couldn't understand why it felt so danger as if something terrible had happened. It was just a normal night however, the sky was dark blue and everything was quiet. The seven-year-old looked out his window. Watching the view of the light saturated village. It was beautiful in it's most simple form. He didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to enjoy it, or why he was just an outcast. It was a strange, something he always wonder about. He sighed, scratching his blond head._

 _"Naruto-Kun.", a voice stated from behind. He turned, shocked that there was another figure in his home. It was a beautiful woman with long black hair, neatly tucked into a ponytail. She had two lines that extended downwards. She was a stranger but Naruto felt no fear from the girl, though her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying._

 _She looked a lot like Sasuke._

 _"Who are you?",_

 _She didn't respond to his question. "Promise me that you'll be friends with Sasuke.", he looked at her, an expression of awe smacking on his face. He didn't know how to respond to that, Sasuke didn't seem to like him and Naruto wasn't entirely fond of him. It wasn't exactly for any reason besides the fact that Sasuke just always outshined him…. And the fact that no one really liked the blond._

 _He nodded. "Sure.", Naruto wasn't sure how this would work out but he couldn't bring himself to voice his opinion._

 _The girl smiled a deep and beautiful smile, Naruto never thought he'd ever seen one so amazing and full of sunshine. Hell, Naruto didn't even like girls until this one had shown up in her apartment, she looked amazing. Who was she? Her smile held joy, and calmness, but it also held regret and despair. Naruto noticed this._

 _"Thank-you.", her voice was sweet, but Naruto didn't miss the pain in it, he knew it all too well. Why was she in pain? She was gone before he could respond. The seven-year-old scratched his blond head. Friends with Sasuke?_

 _"Wait.", he stated, realizing that she was leaving. The girl rose a brow._

 _"Will you be my friend?", he asked hopefully, his blue eyes pleading. She hesitated, looking at the boy her mouth closed as she became dead quiet._

 _"Sure, Naruto. We can be friends.", His eyes glowed with joy. But before he could say anything the girl had vanished, leaving the boy alone once again._

 _He stood silent for a moment, gazing back towards the window, realizing...that he had made a friend._


	2. Old Face

***Alright, finally I've gotten to this story. Keep in mind that this will probably be much shorter than In His Own Right, but I do intend on making it rather lengthy. Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **The Difference of Knowing:**

 **Chapter One:**

* * *

 _Naruto couldn't help but think about the time. The time she had visited him in his lonely apartment. She had told him to be friends with Sasuke and the whole entire situation had been abnormal and rushed but Naruto in his innocence had accepted nonetheless. Then slowly but surely he, and Sasuke had developed a very odd friendship. Though neither parties would admit to it out loud, they were best friends. At the time he was excited and even thanked the girl for the opportunity._

 _Now that Naruto was older he was well aware of what she did on that same night, literally minutes before she visited him, that same day she had massacred her whole clan, killing everyone but Sasuke without remorse. She was a murdered, some sort of sick reasoning behind her actions. Naruto thought about that now, his mind swirling as many things began to flood into his head. One example of his thoughts being 'Would I survive this altercation?'_

 _He thought about this now, as her Sharingan red eyes glared into his crystal blue. He backed away as the taller man with blue shark like skin came forward, an item Naruto assumed to be a sword covered in wrapping was fixated aggressively pointed at the blond. She looked exactly like a female version of Sasuke. Though, her face held beauty...Something he would never have associated with a , looks could be deceiving._

 _The shark-like man wearing matching clothing as Izumi walked forward. "It's hard to believe that such a child holds the power of the Kyuubi.",_

 _His eyes went wide, he knew of the Kyuubi! All he could do was stare, his mouth agape and his bulged fearfully._

 _"Naruto, you're coming with us.", her voice came out smooth, it wasn't threatening, it was actually a pleasant sound to his ears. Albeit, it came out impassive, he couldn't place a finger on his weird thoughts. She looked almost like he remembered, maybe a bit taller and her face had definitely matured more. And soon he found himself asking: How could this girl, Sasuke's sister be the psychotic murderer he had heard so much about? At this moment, it almost seemed impossible to him. From first glance she looked rather innocent, disregarding her bored expression, she was simply a beautiful brunette. Her jet black hair fell backwards in a sleek ponytail, her face was actually symmetrical a clear cut sign of beauty. He noted all this as he gazed on in fear. Again looks can be deceiving he convinced himself._

 _"Why don't we step outside?", the shark figure spoke, gesturing outside the door with his free hand. Naruto listened obediently, not wanting to trigger the strangers in any shape or form. He gulped doing so as he felt his heart doing somersaults in his chest. The shark man was tall and intimidating, his sharp teeth coming together as he smiled down at the blond. A sinister gaze within his eyes, he definitely looked evil, there was no doubt in that. He then took in the appearance of the girl again, looking her up and down._

 _"Yo— you, you're Sasuke's elder sister." He started, not understanding where he was going with that. Directing his words towards the black haired girl again. "You're the girl that visited me that day, the day you killed everyone in your clan except for him. You seemed so nice back then! What was that anyway, some sort of act? A sick game of some sort? What did you gain from it? Look what you did to Sasuke, shit your whole entire family!", Naruto felt himself become emotional. "I actually believed that you could be my friend.", he muttered._

 _She didn't seem to have a reaction to his words, not on her expression at least, her face didn't even so much as twitch. "Sasuke?", Kisame began. "This is the first time I'm hearing about a Sasuke, Izumi.", She remained motionless, her face not so much as twitching._

 _"He is my younger brother, details are irrelevant.", She explained nonchalantly._

 _"Ah, sounds like an interesting story to tell, considering that from what I heard is that you slaughtered everyone in the Uchiha clan. Ah, a story for later… Anyways back to the boy.", Kisame allowed his weapon to slam into the floor, the heavy weapon breaking through it with the mere force of gravity._

 _"It would be a hassle if he...ya know tried to escape, how about I cut off a leg or two?", Naruto's eyes widen, his blue orbs instantly darting between the two ninja who obviously outclassed him. Could he run? No, they could probably catch him. But he had to do something, would he really just let these two take him?_

 _The girl kept her blood red eyes on him, both engaging in a subconscious staring eye contest. He silently hoped that the girl would voice a complaint, a negative to his affirmative. But nothing came, her mouth sewn shut._

 _"Right.", The blue skin man stated, turning towards Naruto, the boy just stared feeling completely useless. What could he possibly do?_

 _Suddenly, a darkness filled the atmosphere of the hallway. Almost a familiar feeling, it filled the area radiating with a lust for… Revenge._

 _"It's been a long time...", came the feminine voice of the girl. Naruto performed an about face. "...Sasuke…", As plain as day, there he was Sasuke Uchiha in all his glory. But this wasn't the Sasuke Naruto had come to know over the years. This was not the friends that he knew, this was a different individual altogether, it was a shadow looming over him. He shivered a bit, viewing the absolute hatred that had engulfed his friend. Sasuke had truly been through a lot, they were similar in the hardships they had to go through, Naruto was different however in one aspect; he never had a family like him. There was of course the Third, and Iruka, hell even team seven. But, to lose the people that birthed you and all the people that loved you, that was a toll of it's own._

 _"Oh, speak of the devil. So, this is your younger brother that I've heard so much about.", Kisame tilted his head behind himself. "How are you Sasuke?",_

 _"Izumi Uchiha…", Sasuke mouthed his first words, them being his sister's name. His Sharingan burned red hot, as he narrowed them dangerously at her._

 _"Sasuke.", Naruto said simply. No reply came from his Uchiha teammate, his were narrowed as his hand began to illuminate in electric blue._

 _"Izumi, you're time is up…",_

 _She turned finally acknowledging him with an alignment of her face. He was definitely different!_

 _"I've compiled my hatred and I've waited all my life for this moment. Revenge is best served sweet, they say. Well, I say it's best served with a shock!", The hallway now glowed with the blinding blue light of the Chidori. Naruto found himself frozen as the boy prepared himself for an attack._

 _"It ends here!", Sasuke roared, dashing forward as his ninjutsu burned through the walls of the building. Naruto watched as Sasuke's attack aimed for his sister's chest, an attack that would undoubtedly kill the girl. He blinked for second, which proved to be just enough time to miss the events that played next. All he really remembered was a loud crash that radiated throughout the building like an Earthquake, then followed by the dying sound of a thousand chirping birds. Smoke blew everywhere, his eyes being blinded for a short interval of time. When the dust cleared and Naruto finally realized what had happened his eyes went wide._

 _Izumi held Sasuke by the wrist, the blue ninjutsu dying in the younger boy's hands, his Chidori had made impact with the wall beside him creating a considerably large hole. He had aimed it directly at her, and she simply moved her hand and brushed his attack off like it was nothing. She held his arm stopping the boy from so much as even landing his ninjutsu on Izumi._

 _Naruto was awestricken and Kisame to chuckled. Sasuke attempted to move for an attack on his sister, who simply replied by crushing his wrist causing him to fall to the floor. "Chidori I'm impressed.", she stated simply._

 _Naruto moved before he could think, calling the power of the Kyuubi to himself it's chakra surrounding him. He would need to do something against these two._

 _"Too slow!", The blue skinned man's sword slashed past his face, seeming to miss. Naruto was quite perplexed by this action until he found himself unable to summon any sort of chakra. Shit!_

 _"My weapon absorbs chakra and devours it!", Kisame explained. "This will be a huge problem if you continue doing this, so forget the legs. How about I start with those arms of yours.", Naruto continued his attempts, keeping his hands together._

 _The shark-like man cackled. "You're wasting your time…", his sword was now mere seconds from cutting or rather shredding through Naruto. He closed his eyes praying to whatever, that some kind of miracle of would happen. The sword finally came down and his life flashed in an instant. Naruto waited for the killing blow, his eyes shut, as he heard a loud poofing noise echoed through the building. The sword came into contact with something directly in front of the blond. He peaked an eyelid open, his eyes gazing forward. A toad stood in his way, his wrists coming outwards to block the attack._

 _"You guys must not know me very well. A mere female cannot detain such a man as myself, hell I am all that is a true man. I cannot be wooed by some girl when you're like me.", Naruto knew that voice, it belong to the pervy rat himself. "The ladies bow at you awesomeness, Jiraiya the Toad Sage at your service.",_

 _Kisame twitched a bit. "A tad goofy for someone praised as one of the legendary Sannin.",_

 _Naruto turned his eyes landing on the girl laying over his shoulder and then pointing a finger at Jiraiya. "You left me to go hand out with some broad. You're just a dusty old pervert, pervy sage.",_

 _The white haired shinobi shrunk backwards scratching his head. "I really wish you would stop calling me that in front of people!",_

 _Izumi spoke softly. "So you were able to dispel the Genjutsu we placed on her.",_

 _Jiraiya's face became dead serious. "Using an innocent girl in order to separate me from Naruto. It's sick and a cowards tactic.", he paused as he placed the girl on the ground parallel with the wall. "I know that he's really what you're after.",_

 _Naruto looked between Jiraiya and the two ninja._

 _"I see, that's how Kakashi was aware, you told him.", Izumi said knowingly._

 _"What are you guys planning?", he inquired. Izumi said nothing keeping Sasuke tight on the ground and below her feet._

 _"Naruto is the prize that the Akatsuki are after…", she stated before her voice became venomous. "And we will have him.",_

 _The holder of the Kyuubi gulped._

 _Jiraiya's voice became deep and vicious. "You'll never get Naruto.",_

 _The girl wasted no time to respond. "We'll see about that.",_

 _Jiraiya let out a cackle. "Actually, this is all extremely convenient. I can take you both out simultaneously.", The two shinobi just glared at the Sannin, before a harsh voice finally spoke._

 _"No!", Sasuke stood to his feet, shaking a bit seeming to have taken a beaten from his elder sister. How could a sibling do such a thing to the other, an elder sister at that. "Stay out of this...don't you dare bud in.", Jiraiya stared on rather skeptically but made no action to move. "This is my fight!", the difference was now clearly prone on Jiraiya's face and Naruto stared in complete awe._

 _"Sasuke…", was all he found himself able to mouth._

 _The raven haired boy let out a heart filled warcry, as he launched his fist at his sister, the girl caught his hand mid punch and squeezed it causing a popping sound to echo._

 _Naruto shifted towards his teammate, almost subconsciously, when he found the large figure of the shark pushing between him and Sasuke._

 _"Now, now let brother and sister have a little chat.", Kisame grinned. Fuck._

 _"Go away, I'm not interested in you at the moment.", she told him. His face turned red with more rage._

 _"Then get interested!", his fist came forward again only to be met with a punch to his gut, Sasuke toppled over just before his sister's slender kneed collided with his nose. The girl was ruthless, as she assaulted him, beating Sasuke mercilessly and without breaking so much as a sweat. Finally, was thrown back into the wall, his body slamming hard as he collapsed onto the ground. Naruto couldn't watch anymore_

 _"Ero-Sannin do something!", he yelled as he watched the long haired girl lift Sasuke by his neck and push him into the wall. Who would think that someone with such an innocent look in her eyes could be this malicious, this wicked. It bugged Naruto's Mind, and to be so ruthless to her own flesh and blood. It was mind churning._

 _It ended with Sasuke falling unconscious, an ear burning yell being released from the younger Uchiha as he gazed into his sister's eyes. The girl held him by his shirt._

 _"So heartless, Izumi.", Kisame smiled._

 _Naruto couldn't take it, he was ready to charge. He didn't care how powerful these guys were, his friend was in need of help. Naruto rushed forward his legs seeming to move by themselves._

 _"Naruto, wait!", He heard Jiraiya yell in fear. But it was too late, the Genin was running off._

 _Kisame responded fast. His sword being withdrawn within seconds, it was fast too fast for Naruto to respond. There was no time to slow down, all he could do was try and dodge the attack that would inevitably kill him._

 _The next set of events set Naruto's head spinning. As if from absolutely nowhere Guy-sensei had made an appearance, his leg making contact with the Kisame's sword and knocking the weapon to the floor, before following up with a swift quick punch to the shark man's gut._

 _This caused Izumi to turn around and completely drop her brother to the ground with no care._

 _"You again, these surprise attacks are sure beginning to annoy me.", the blue skinned man said irritably._

 _"Glad I could catch up in time. Naruto, get back. Jiraiya-sama and I can handle this!",_

 _The blond haired boy looked up at the bushy-browed man, wholeheartedly glad that he had came to his aid._

 _"Let's kill him Izumi, he seems like the problematic type.", Kisame picked up his weapon swirling the large sword in his hand tauntingly. Izumi's eyes were_

 _"I've got this, you two don't move.", The sunkissed blond turned to watch Ero-sannin perform a set of curious hand sign. Both Guy and Naruto gazed on curiously as the entire hallway became engulfed in what he could only describe as flesh._

 _Kisame's charge was halted as his feet became stuck in the flesh. The man forcefully pulled his leg from the hold._

 _"Jiraiya-sama, what is this?",_

 _The man responded but his voice seeming to focus on the two Akatsuki._

 _"Welcome, Lady and gentlemen, to the stomach of the have just stepped foot in the belly of the beast, where you'll be slowly digested over the span of an entire year.", The two Akatsuki gazed at eachother._

 _"Kisame we're leaving." She ordered boldly, taking off into the next hallway._

 _The blue shark man, slashed another set of flesh. "Right!", he said before dashing after her. The white Haired shinobi wasn't having it, he slammed his hands into the wall of flesh and forced it forward._

 _"Try as you might, but there is not a shinobi alive that can escape this Jutsu!", he called threatening them. Oh, how he was wrong. The shinobi that could break through his technique was a black haired girl who had completely annihilated her clan. And Naruto never forgave the girl for her actions, what she did to his best friend._

* * *

The air was as cold as ice. The boy could feel the wind hit his face heavily, smacking it, the wind actually stinging. He would have liked nothing more than to leave this forsaken tundra at once, but such a thing would be considered abandonment of a mission; which was a dishonorable charge of course. He had made it to the land of snow, again somewhere that he considered forsaken. He felt his exposed hair ruffle as it blew in the wind, his hood slightly coming off. His mission was simple, he was to escort a leader of a small ninjaless village, through snow country in order to reach the village hidden within the snow in one peace. What would be a simple task for blond Jounin, who was at the bare beginnings of 17.

It was a solo mission, nothing too drastic. However, it was considered an A-rank mission due to the bounty that laid on the man's head. Regardless, it would be of no issue. He reached the small village within minutes, finding a trail that led to a gated entrance. It was open of course and he entered. He had half expected the place to be empty, with the amount of snow they were getting. However, everyone seemed to be used to it, there were crowds of people as if the cold didn't bother them. They moved about, heading home, buying supplies, normal activities. That was fine because Naruto was absolutely freezing. He moved, as he gazed upwards at the cloudy sky, he knew he was early, he had come probably a day earlier than was necessary, so he was in no rush.

The boy moved through the town, taking it's appearance and noting that he liked much larger villages than this one. They seemed to lack any sort of luster. His eyes wandered to a small hotel, to which he figured he would spend the night. Everything just seemed normal,a nice young man even held the door for him. Again everything was normal. That was until Naruto's eyes suddenly caught something with his peripheral vision. He turned suddenly, as he gazed to his left. Electric blue eyes zoned onto a figure, the figure walked in the opposite direction of his gaze. She walked very smooth, and didn't seem to make noise even when she stepped into the snow; shinobi like as she quickly placed her black hood over her ponytail. His eyes narrowed, that was odd. He wouldn't be surprised if there were some other shinobi in the village, however, that still brought up red flags.

"Um, sir. Are you coming?", the man holding the door inquired awkwardly, witnessing what probably seemed odd to the civilian.

"Sorry, I'll be back… Excuse me.", he jogged a bit forward, his blue eyes staying on the hooded figure. A few things he determined, it was a girl. She was a ninja, and if she were any good she knew he was one also. He stopped a short distance from her making sure not to look suspicious. Her pace increased, as he moved further away from the hotel and more towards a secluded part of the village. He noted that the population of people here decreased as they continued.

She moved suddenly, turning around a corner into what seemed to be an alleyway. He narrowed his eyes, as he dashed towards the alleyway. He entered, gazing into the darkness as he searched for the girl. She was here only moments ago. He withdrew a Kunai as he surveyed every corner of the small Alleyway which led to a dead end. He silently cursed at himself for being too obvious with his pursuit. He sighed, assuming that the girl had escaped, probably body flickering away. He took one last gaze around the empty place before heading for the exit.

She seemed oddly familiar, and he suddenly found himself pondering just who that ninja could have been. He stepped outside of the alley, his eyes gazing into the small street of the snow village as flakes fell lightly and the wind blew heavily. He guessed he could just head to a hotel, his hands were freezing. He thought this as he blew his breath into his palms.

He stopped abruptly, a piercing feeling pressing lightly against his neck. He could feel the cold sharp blade of a Kunai. His eyes gazed backwards for a second, as he identified his attacker.

"Izumi Uchiha.", he stated, almost growling.

"Naruto-san...What brings you to this small village?", She says. Her voice was smooth and lacking of any emotion. Yet, feminine and seeming to hold a knowing tone. It was the same voice, however, as all those years ago. He still remembered. And what else he remembered was just how evil this girl was. He remembered how she had lied to him and how she had hurt Sasuke. She was just simply evil.

"I could ask you the same thing.", He stated, blue eyes crossing into black eyes. She was an S-classed criminal, extremely dangerous. But, he wasn't the young naive boy from all those years ago.

"I'm meeting someone.", she told him. "You do not interest me at the moment. However, I do not wish to be followed, and if persists I'll be forced to act accordingly.",

She removed the Kunai, a bit surprising to him.

"Who?",

She turned away. "Such information does not need to be disclosed.",

"Nothing, you Akatsuki are doing is good. And it is my duty as a shinobi to capture any wanted criminals.",

She looked on not seeming to be phased by his threat in the slightest.

"I have a mission, I suggest you do not interfere.", she stated this coldly, before disappearing into a flock of black crows. Naruto watched as the crows took into the sky, and disappeared a short distance away. She was here, the person who had caused Sasuke to leave and ultimately drove him onto the wrong path. The S-classed criminal who committed one of the most heinous crimes in Konoha history. She was here in this small village, he would keep this eyes out. But, first he needed to contact the village.

* * *

 ***Not much to say except that I'm sorry for the late Update. Writers block for this story, but I think I know where to go from here. Tell me what you think in a review, and I'll get back to this very shortly. Thank-You!**


	3. Protectors

**The Difference Of Knowing:**

 **Chapter Two:**

* * *

His encounter with Izumi left him a little uneasy. Her presence here could ultimately jeopardize the mission completely, which was exactly why he sent messenger toads back home. He would continue his assignment and hopefully complete it with no side tracking or anything. Over the years he had developed a sort of awareness about the certain criminal. He remembered as a child he had thought about her constantly, and how friendly and absolutely beautiful she looked. He had been excited to engage in this newly found friendship she had accepted. Honestly, he had believed her to truly be his first friend. It was naive. But, instead his innocent thoughts were destroyed when he discovered the truth. She had done so much, so much to cause harm to Sasuke and to the village. She was a criminal with some sort of twisted ideology, a murderer. And not only that she was after him, him being Naruto the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. She had been the catalyst for his departure. Naruto would bring him back though, it was only a matter of time and effort. He sighed, as he walked past the front desk of the hotel.

The female clerk with blue hair smiled genuinely at him as he walked past. He returned her smile with a grin, waving a to her before walking outside and getting smack with cold air. He immediately missed the warmth of the hotel, but duty called. He wrapped a black scarf around him as he kept his robe close, decently covering his Konoha jounin attire. He moved through the cold streets, as his feet pressed into the snow neatly.

Sandals were definitely not the footwear to have on in this type of weather. And each step seemed to place more ice and snow on his feet. He reminded himself to buy some boots or something while he was still in town. He continued to move wrapping his scarf closer to his face. He was almost there, he pressed deeper into the village, moving towards the center where his destination lay.

Finally, he was here, his eyes gazed up at the building. It as small, but resembled that of the Hokage Estate back in Konoha. He was met with security as he entered the mansion. A rushed of men approaching him and scanning over his body with metal detectors. He awkwardly scratched his head, as the machines beeped rapidly.

"What can I say? I'm a shinobi afterall.", he gave the excuse.

The security seemed to back off in obvious concern for their own health.

"You wouldn't happen to be one of the escorts.",

One of? He nodded. "Yep, I guess that's me.",

Relief swarmed over the men, as he felt some of the tension dissipate.

"My apologies sir—",

"Naruto Uzumaki is my name.",

The man who seemed to be head of security nodded, a polite smile forming. "Uzumaki-san. Welcome.",

"Naruto will be just fine.", he again corrected.

He nodded again in confirmation. "Mushi, pleasure to meet you. Follow me, your audience is needed.", the blond gazed at all the men surrounding him. Though they seemed to be less frightened and tense, there was still an aura of distrust. He thought he even heard someone ask if having a ninja was necessary or that it was rather dangerous to bring a shinobi into the village. He shrugged not caring much about their opinion, he just simply had to complete his mission.

They moved towards an elevator where they were again met with metal detectors, and as if it were some sort of loop the detectors went off again. The security stationed at the machine gave him a hard stare before Mushi indicated with his hands that Naruto was clear. He watched as the security again uneasily stepped aside. Finally, they made it to the top floor.

"We are here. The elevator goes straight to his office.", He admired this, actually wondering as to why Baa-chan didn't have an elevator in the Hokage Mansion. There was a loud beep before the elevator stopped indicating they were finally on the floor. The doors slowly opened, as they entered the small office. He walked a few feet in before their eyes met.

"You again?", He stated as he approached the desk. The man sitting there watched in confusion. "What are you doing here?",

Again, black and azure gazed into each other. Izumi watched him her gaze almost seeming to hold a condescending fashion to it. She didn't reply for a deathly silent second. "It would seem as if we've been hired for the same mission.",

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her before his eyes went back to Mushi, whom of which only shrugged. He came closer to the desk, as he stared at the man sitting there.

"Yes, that is correct.", the man stated, moving from his seat. He was an elder man, grey hair painted over his beard and shaggy hair. His eyes were brown and seemed to hold much age to them. "I hired both of you in good faith–",

"I'm sorry, but the Konoha and the Akatsuki have bad blood. They are criminals, do you really want criminals escorting you?",

Izumi had no facial reaction to this. "The Akatsuki will complete any assignment without question. In return all we ask for is compensation.",

This was all extremely fucked up and tricky. What was she really up to? The leader nodded at Mushi, to which the head of security left back into the Elevator.

"To hell with that. She cannot be trusted.",

"I was not aware of such tribulations between the Leaf and Akatsuki. I hired both in hopes of getting the best-—", again he interrupted the man.

"I could have escorted you myself. She is an S-class shinobi wanted in five nations. What she did is unforgivable. And unfortunately, this isn't one of them. However, I have a duty to capture her!", He withdrew a kunai, as he immediately got into an offensive stance.

She stood solid still, simple muttering the simple words. "You can't.", as her eyes converted to a crimson red.

"Stop this madness. I have no intentions of having two shinobi fight within my village. If you wish it I can have you both escorted out and just bring my own security. However, there being a bounty on my head has made me easy pickings for shinobi alike. All I ask is for protection for my journey. That is it! I do not wish to know about the bad blood between you two I just want to get my money's worth. Can you two please do that?",

The boy stood, Kunai still gripped tightly in his hand. He wanted to capture her, he wanted to take her back to the village and place her in prison for her crimes. Not only would she be punished but that would ultimately bring Sasuke back and from there he would figure everything out. But a few things were keeping the boy from doing what was on his mind. One, capturing Izumi Uchiha would be a difficult task, one that would possibly required all his efforts. Possible, yes. But, not something he could do easily. And two, in the event that he was able to defeat her, how would he get the girl back all the way to the village without any trouble. This of course, is without accounting for the damage he may sustain from the battle.

"I have no interest with you at the moment, Naruto-san. However, if we both share the same mission then I will tolerate you in order to complete my assignment.", she stated, deactivating her Sharingan.

"Yeah, and what if I refuse to work with you and instead capture you for your crimes?"

He spat as a small condescending smirk fell upon her lips.

"You could try.",

"Listen! You both are high caliber Shinobi if there is an issue between you two I can make arrangements to remove one or both of you from this mission."

"No."

"No!" Naruto and Izumi said simultaneously

"That will not be necessary.", Izumi assured.

"Not at all." He agreed.

"Then you two will set aside differences? I can tilt either way."

The two ninja eyed the other, a silent agreement being made between the two. She didn't seem very interested in him. Maybe she had her own obligations opposed to that of the Akatsuki?

"Fine." Naruto turned towards her looking for a facial reaction. She gave none, not even a twitch of her facial muscles. She was so odd and emotionless. Almost like a machine in a sense.

"Very well.", the leader stated. "The name's Asura, and I'm the leader of this small village. I wish to be escorted to the village hidden in the snow. You two are my escorts. I was just speaking with Izumi of defensive measures and what I should be expected to do."

Asura gestured his hand towards Izumi. "Yes, it would be within your best interest to leave all your men here and just have us as your protection. They will do no good against ninja and unfortunately may lose their lives."

"I agree with Izumi-san."

Naruto nodded, he admitted that this was true.

"She also agreed that we should leave immediately and that my belongings should be minimal."

"That's correct, bring only what you can carry."

He nodded again. "Sounds like she's got everything covered concerning explanations and security."

"She does.", Asura confirmed.

"Fantastic." He stated blandly.

"We should leave now and not waste any more time." She moved towards the exit, making sure it was clear that she was in charge of the operations. He rose an eyebrow, silently agreed. The faster this was finished the faster he could get to capturing the girl and moving on to his promise to one of his close friends.

"Now?" Naruto complained.

"Yes, it's only logical if we wish to finish this in a timely manner.", Naruto mumbled under his breath, but couldn't argue against her logic.

"Even if I hadn't packed, hell I don't even have any boots!"

She rose an eyebrow at him as if to say 'really?'. And without another word, Izumi was leading the two out of the village and onto their journey.

* * *

It had become dark and Naruto estimated it to have been about four hours into their journey. Walking was a minor annoyance he would much rather jump across the canopies or maybe even run along the forest floor. Unfortunately, Asura wasn't a ninja and incapable of doing any of those at their level. He shrugged, walking beside the man, developing a newly found sense of respect for the him. He had explained to Naruto about his past and how he gained power through a small coup that successfully removed their former tyrant of a leader, this all occurring recently. He explained to Naruto that this was why he was visiting the village hidden in the snow, in order to improve relations, despite them being inferior in size and military strength.

"I see you're trying to incorporate ninja teachings into your village."

He nodded.

"A very wise decision, your village is extremely vulnerable without ninja protecting it, I'll tell you that.", Naruto stated this with pride and gave his newly found friend an honest look. "I believe your best course of action would be to go through completely with this. In addition to this, I believe Konoha would probably be the most viable village to attempt and set up a shinobi military state",

"For now I'm only doing what is most convenient." He gave a smile with his elder face.

"We haven't come across many hostile rogues, but the little we have we've been able to bribe them into leaving us in peace." He shook his head. "I wish to terminate that fear and prospect from my people."

Naruto found himself thinking very highly of the man as they continued to speak, keeping their conversation centered around the village and Asura's leadership skills. The man was a honest and decent individual with the village's and it's people's best interest at heart. He had the ideology of a kage, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder how different this humble man would be if he held the power of a shinobi, if maybe he had been born into a large shinobi village. Would he still keep his humble nature? Or would he be consumed by his own power. Would he even be powerful. Naruto gave the man the benefit of the doubt and as per his personality remained as positive as possible.

They continued their reach through the cold wind and layers of snow. Naruto wrapped his scarf tight around his body as the snow began to intensify, the day was slowly transitioning into the early evening hours and the sun still held it's position in the sky, but slowly descended towards the horizon. They would reach their next village by the time night fell. The blond had talked with Asura nonstop, their conversations jumping all over the place. At the same time, the loyal shinobi had made a small habit of gazing over at Izumi every so often almost to keep an eye on her. She walked beside the two, keeping up pace and seeming to keep herself keen and light on her feet. She never ventured into their conversation, and Naruto couldn't help but be cautious of her. Her Presence was overwhelming obvious. He couldn't shake her from his mind, her being his enemy and just untrustworthy. He made note to not let his guard down around her.

Suddenly, Izumi's eyes swirled. Her black eyes turning crimson. Naruto put his arm forward, pushing Asura backward as he withdrew a kunai.

"We have company.", Naruto stated. The area was quiet. Small snowflakes lightly glided onto the ground slowly accumulating into to piles of snow. Asura stepped back but calmly listened to her shinobi protectors.

Izumi shook her head in acknowledgment. Naruto gave the perimeter a round over, he counted multiple shinobi massed. Rogues maybe?

"I count more than ten." He angled his Kunai and stood calmly. "I believe they're after our friend here."

The Akatsuki girl lifted her sleeve revealing a long Katana. It's blade reflecting the sunlight from above.

"I don't see anyone!" Asura stated, his face perplexed. Of course, he wouldn't be able to, he didn't have the shinobi training that he and Izumi had their eyes were keen to such things.

She turned to him. "You stay with him, I'll counter flank them." Her words came out as an order, and Naruto found himself not liking to take orders from someone he wasn't exactly on good terms with and that was an understatement. Before he could protest, however, she disappeared in a blur of black.

He stood quietly, his eyes senses completely alert as he awaited the imminent attack.

"Naruto, where are they. At least give me that."

"We're surrounded." He twirled his Kunai in a circular fashion around his middle finger before finally catching it. Asura gave him a concerned gaze before Naruto shook his head.

"I think Izumi-san and I can handle this, have faith." He stated with a smile, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "Now be on your toes here they come!"

The air became quiet, the only noise coming from the air being the wind blowing heavily against the two. Naruto breathed calmly, his breath becoming visible showing how absolutely cold it was. They were taking an awfully slow time and Naruto humorously wondered if they have run off even though the ninja had a number advantage. Soon he found that that just wasn't quite the case at all, he knew shinobi all too well and the desperate ones were in some ways the scum of the planet.

It began as a sliver metal pierced the air, sending heart churning sound of a projectile breaking the sound barrier. Naruto blocked the attack, with ease before noticing the small paper tag attached to the kunai. His eyes swapped to it and to Asura within seconds, before he dashed at the man and tackled him into the snow.

The tag exploded, evaporating snow instantly and leaving a crater.

Two shinobi appeared before Naruto. They wasted no time in attacking Asura, their swords only wanting Naruto's companion. With little time to react, the blond dashed forward and slit his kunai across the necks of the two assailants. Easy! They fell into the snow like ragdolls as he watched for more. Instantly a swarm of senbon was thrown his way, before he found a heavy sword colliding with his kunai. He backup defensively as a headbandless shinobi attacked him viciously. The two weapons making contact repeatedly producing small yellow sparks as the sound of metal impacting one another rang throughout the forest. The shinobi was quick, but nothing Naruto had not been through or couldn't handle, he was faster. And the boy proved it in one quick attack that sent the man flying into the white ground, as Naruto sent him one kick. The shinobi looked genuinely concerned that he had not been able to predict that kid, and Naruto wasted no time in silencing the shinobi in the ground, the snow becoming drenched in blood. Sloppy work, but it did the job.

His eyes instantly snapped to Asura, as two of the their attackers moved towards him. He narrowed his eyes vowing that he'd protect this man with his life and within seconds Naruto was before the man. However, before Naruto could react and save him, a flash of black blur appeared behind the two. And before he could even help, they were dead with one sweet swish of her kunai. Naruto stood still as he watch the girl take on the remaining shinobi, her bangs moving elegantly as she outmaneuvered the men. Before defeating thiem in a series of taijutsu or her weapon. It was all mesmerising. There was something about her movements and the motions that came with it that made Naruto...well admire it. From the way her pontailed hair swished in the air, to her delicate facial features. If you had never known of the girl's origins you would assume that she were just an innocent girl. The whole entire situation was weird, but the only frequent word that seemed to pop in his head was beautiful.

 _Friends don't abandon their friends, she would be back!_

He heard his younger self say, and suddenly a wave of nostalgia hit him like a whale.

"That's all of them." She stated calmly fixing her Akatsuki robe.

"Kami…" Asura stated, his breath heavy and eyes bulged.

Naruto shook his head clearing his mind. "Asura, you're not hurt or anything?"

Naruto approached the man placing a hand on the elder man's shoulder. Izumi also approached from the other side.

"No, no. I'm fine, completely OK! Thanks to you two!" He assured.

"Then we should keep moving." The Uchiha stated blandly, taking the lead yet again. Naruto squinted his eyes, then smiled at Asura and allowed him to walk in front of him.

"That was… exhilarating, absolutely mesmerizing." Asura said simply. Naruto's eyes went towards the long jet black ponytailed hair of the girl.

"Yeah, it was."

* * *

Their first stop was a small village about 20 miles from their original point. The cold was finally getting to the blond's feet and Asura had offered to buy him snow boots, to which Naruto declined.

Izumi figured they'd rest in the nearest hotel for the night and so they had. The hotel wasn't bad, but it wasn't luxurious, what it lacked was a bathhouse. Which wasn't that large of a deal, but she wouldn't mind one.

So, they came to a conclusion on rooms. They had given Izumi her own room, to her dismay, due to her being a girl. And Naruto and Asura stayed in the same room for safety purposes.

"So, two rooms for you three, Asura-san?" The young male at the desk stated in confirmation.

"Yes." The man handed each of them their own individual keys.

"You'll find your rooms on the second floor.",

The three nodded, but Naruto broke away from the group. "I'm going to go see if I can get a bite to eat. I'll meet up with you later." He told Asura, but eyed her skeptically before leaving. He left both Asura and Izumi alone, and a suffocatingly awkward silence followed.

Not that she cared, she just wanted to get to her room and take a proper shower. Fortunately, she had packed her luggage into a small scroll. Finally, the two parted, their rooms being across from one another and Izumi entered her's.

To say the hotel room was bad would be a lie. It definitely wasn't the worse room she'd ever stayed in and hell it wasn't the best either. But, it was actually nice and clean, a small fridge laying off in the corner, a flat screen television and two beds. Izumi withdrew her robes and the clothing under it before heading into the bathroom. She instantly went into the tub and turned on the water, which was lukewarm at first but thankfully, slowly transitioned to a nice warm feeling. The girl allowed the water to roll across her back before she began to cleanse her naked body. Normally, it wouldn't take so long to shower, but the warmth was a huge relief to the icey cold air outside. So, she found herself in the shower longer than expected.

She removed herself from the shower and covered herself nicely with the clean towels that had been left for her in the bathroom. Izumi sighed drying her hair and body before stepping outside of the bathroom leaving her towel. She would have kept her towel on normally, but she figured she could pick up her scroll and get her clean clothing. And that was when she felt his chakra. Her eyes went to the door as there were two knocks before it opened.

"Listen, I need to tal—" he stopped mid-sentence before his eyes went completely wide. His mouth agape and his face frozen. There was silence and a short pause as the two eyed each other. Suddenly Izumi felt her face becoming a small tint of red. They stood, Izumi completely nude and Naruto just standing in her door way.

Her eyes narrowed. "I think you should leave!"

"Uh–yea- sorry!" Within seconds Naruto was gone and the door closed shut. And the girl walked to the door and locked it.

"How embarrassing."

* * *

 ***That's all folk! Hopefully, this chapter did not disappoint. Tell me about it in a review!**

 ***In His Own Right should be updated within the next three week!**


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